Animal-Proof Trash Bag

ABSTRACT

A plastic trash bag, which may be reusable or disposable, has a zipper that requires a multi-direction opening/closing motion. The opening/closing direction of the zipper is reversed along the zipper track by an obtuse angle ( 90° - 180° . Since the zipper closure has an obtuse reverse bend, the opening of the sealed bag requires a degree of dexterity beyond that of an animal attempting to tear the bag open.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of bags and containers forthe disposal of trash and/or debris, and more particularly to resealableplastic trash bags.

The task of securing household refuse against raccoons, bears, skunks,squirrels and other animals poses seemingly unending problems. Even whentrash is stored in a sealed container, hungry animals prove themselvesadept at prying open lids and undoing fasteners. While zippered closureson trash bags could be considered animal-proof, bears have actually beenknown to open zippered bags with their claws.

Although some animals are able to pull a zipper slider open with theirclaws or teeth, they lack the dexterity to negotiate a reverse bend inthe zipper track. The present invention relies upon this inherentlimitation of animals to provide zippered trash bags which isanimal-proof by virtue of its reverse-bend zipper design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a plastic trash bag, which may be reusable ordisposable, in which the closure mechanism of the bag is a zipper thatrequires a multi-direction opening/closing motion. The opening/closingdirection of the zipper is reversed along the zipper track by an obtuseangle (90°-180°. Since the zipper closure has an obtuse reverse bend,the opening of the sealed bag requires a degree of dexterity beyond thatof an animal attempting to tear the bag open.

As shown in FIG. 2, the obtuse reverse-bend zipper design of the presentinvention requires that, in order to open the closure, the zipper sliderinitially must be pulled in a first direction, indicated by the lowerarrow, and then the zipper slider must be pulled in a second direction,indicated by the second arrow, such that the angle between the firstdirection and the second direction is obtuse.

The foregoing summarizes the general design features of the presentinvention. In the following sections, specific embodiments of thepresent invention will be described in some detail. These specificembodiments are intended to demonstrate the feasibility of implementingthe present invention in accordance with the general design featuresdiscussed above. Therefore, the detailed descriptions of theseembodiments are offered for illustrative and exemplary purposes only,and they are not intended to limit the scope either of the foregoingsummary description or of the claims which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trash bag in accordance with thepreferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the obtuse reverse-bend zipper closure of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention10 comprises a heavy-duty plastic trash bag, sized to fit in a standardresidential garbage container. The trash bag 10 has an obtusereverse-bend zipper 11, comprising a zipper track 12, along which movesa slider 13, which is gripped and pulled to open and close the zipper11.

The zipper 11 can be a plastic toothed zipper or a molded-plasticridge-sealed closure of the type found on zip-loc bags. Preferably, thezipper is of one of the designs disclosed in the U.S. patents of Porchiaet al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,299 or Machacek et al. U.S. Pat. No.6,047,450, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

Optionally, the trash bag 10 can have one or more handles 14 on the topor side of the bag to facilitate lifting and carrying the bag.

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of the obtuse reverse-bend zipper 11.The zipper 11 is shown in its fully closed position. The zipper track 12comprises a first segment 15 and a second segment 16. To open the zipper11, the slider 13 is initially pulled in the first direction 17, whichis parallel to the first segment 15, and then the slider 13 is pulled inthe second direction 18, which is parallel to the second segment 16. Theangle θ between the first direction 17 and the second direction 18 is anobtuse angle (90°-180°, so that the zipper track 12 forms an obtusereverse bend 19.

The negotiation of the obtuse reverse bend 19 in opening the zipper 11requires the superior manual dexterity of a human, thereby preventingthe bag 10 from being opened by an animal.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention as defined by the accompanying claims.

1. A plastic trash bag, comprising: a plastic bag with an opening;wherein the opening is closable by a zipper; wherein the zippercomprises a single zipper track and a slider that can be pulled alongthe zipper track to open or close the zipper; wherein the zipper trackconsists of two segments, which are a first segment and a secondsegment; wherein the first segment and the second segment form aninterior acute angle; wherein, to open the zipper, the slider mustinitially be pulled along the first segment of the zipper track in afirst direction, and upon reaching the second segment of zipper track,the slider must be pulled along the second segment in a seconddirection; and wherein the angle between the first direction and thesecond direction is obtuse, such that the zipper track forms an obtusereverse bend.
 2. The plastic trash bag of claim 1, further comprisingone or more handles on the top or sides of the trash bag, wherein thehandles are grippable for lifting and carrying the trash bag.